Workers at a Mississippi day care center have been charged with felony child abuse after wearing a “Scream” mask to scare kids. A video of the incident, which took place at Lil’ Blessing Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, was shared on Facebook by a colleague who didn’t see the humor in the situation. As it turns out, authorities agreed.
Daycare workers at Lil’ Blessings Child Care in Hamilton, Mississippi thought it would be a great idea to scare the bejesus out of the kids using a 'Scream' mask.
The video is currently being investigated for possible criminal referrals and four employees have been fired. 😱😡 pic.twitter.com/Dptq1vpH8H
— StrictlyChristo🇺🇦🌻 (@christoq) October 6, 2022
- The “prank” was in poor taste. The video quickly went viral and showed someone in a “Scream” mask moving close to kids before screaming at them. Needless to say, the small children appeared terrified both by the shouting and the mask. The person wearing the mask then told the kids “you better be good,” which only scared them more. Another portion of the video showed kids actively running away from the person in the mask.
- People were outraged after seeing the video. Many wondered what was going through the staff members’ heads. Why would they think terrifying small children was a good thing to do? It wasn’t just the person in the mask at fault, but their colleagues who could be heard laughing in the video. Viewers called it “mind-boggling” and “pure evil.”
- Authorities were less than amused by the day care worker’s “Scream” mask prank. In fact, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said five of the workers on shift that day had been charged with a number of offenses relating to child abuse. Sierra McCandless, Oci-Anna Kilburn, Jennifer Newman, Sheyenne Mills, and Traci Hutson were all named. Four of those women are facing felony child abuse charges, while Hutson is being charged with failing to report the abuse and one count of simple assault against a minor.
- All five day care workers were arrested and put in jail. McCandless and Kilburn have bonds of $20,000. Newman and Mills have bonds of $15,000. The investigation is said to be ongoing.
